The invention relates to a motor vehicle tailgate comprising an accessory mounting plate.
Numerous accessories may be attached to the tailgate of a motor vehicle, especially when this is a large-sized rear hatch.
Thus, the rear hatch may support, in addition to its fastening and locking system, an electric wiper motor, a number plate and its lighting systems, but also possibly the compulsory third brake light, or even all or part of the rear light clusters.
All the accessories, which are of course produced independently of the bodywork panel that the rear hatch constitutes, have therefore to be mounted on this rear hatch when the vehicle is being assembled.
Now, the increased number of accessories leads to an increase in assembly time and leads to higher risks of assembly defects.
Furthermore, it is necessary to provide, for each of the electrical accessories, on the one hand the electrical power supply and, on the other hand, the means of controlling these accessories, and finally, monitoring means which make it possible in particular to provide information on the operational condition of the accessories either to the driver, for example via warning lights on the instrument panel, or to a central unit for the electronic management of the vehicle.
These multiple connections, which have to be carried out on the vehicle assembly line, are themselves also potential sources of defects and it is therefore necessary to check them after assembly.
As can be seen, the increased number of electrical accessories carried by the vehicle tailgate may lead to a significant increase in the total assembly time for this rear hatch.
Document EP-A-0,506,514 describes a composite rear hatch comprising a frame which delimits an opening, an upper part of which is intended to be covered by a window glass and a lower part of which is intended to be covered by a cladding module which carries both the outer cladding skin of the rear hatch and some of the accessories that are generally to be found on the rear hatch.
As is specified in the aforementioned document, the purpose of this module is to make it easier to produce alternative forms of rear hatch without reviewing the latter's bearing structure which is formed by the frame.
However, this document says nothing about the means of positioning the various accessories on the one hand relative to each other and on the other hand with respect to the rear hatch. Nor does it specify how the module is positioned with respect to the frame of the rear hatch and with respect to the rest of the vehicle in order to preserve the external appearance of the rear hatch once assembled. Finally, nor is anything said about the means of connecting the accessories to their electric power-supply and control circuits.
This document therefore teaches a new modular design of the very construction of the rear hatch but proposes nothing innovative regarding the mounting of the accessories on this rear hatch.
Document EP-A1-0,044,649 describes and depicts a rear hatch or rear door assembly in which a stiffening plate is attached to a glass panel by, among other things, a special way of mounting the wiper motor and the tailgate closure mechanism. In that way, these accessories play a part in attaching the plate, and pre-mounting them cannot be envisaged. This document therefore proposes the mounting of a stiffening plate to strengthen a tailgate only when the latter consists solely of a glass panel without an inherent structure.
Likewise, the purpose of document DE-A1-3,815,442 is to teach, within the context of a tailgate that consists of a glass panel, the mounting of accessories on a plate which is itself attached to the glass panel. However, apart from the mounting simplicity which avoids having to attach these accessories to a material as fragile as glass, there is no intention of taking any particular advantage of the possibility of pre-mounting the accessories on the plate.
In particular, this document does not in any way envisage for the plate to carry means of connecting the accessories to electric circuits of the vehicle. Thus, it is not possible to be able to test all of the accessories in a simple way before the plate is mounted on the tailgate.
Thus, this document too relates merely to the possibility of mounting the accessories, in a simple and reliable way, on a tailgate panel made of glass.